3of4Harris County Judge-elect Lina Hidalgo has hired a consulting firm used by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to help with her transition.Photo: Mark Mulligan, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Jack Morman, who was defeated for re-election as Harris County Precinct 2 commissioner in November, will remain on the county’s payroll in January as an employee of Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle, a fellow Republican.

Morman, who served two terms on Commissioners Court before losing to former county sheriff Adrian Garcia, will work in Precinct 4’s capital improvements department, Cagle said.

The post-Election Day hires are the latest in an unusually large reshuffling in county government, as many employees whose bosses were defeated for re-election look for new jobs. In January, Harris County also will have a new county judge, clerk, district clerk, treasurer and 55 criminal and civil judges. Democrats swept each countywide position on the ballot in November.

Cagle said he was talking with Morman recently about an unrelated topic when they arrived at the subject of Morman’s next job. Cagle said that, given Morman’s eight years of experience as a commissioner, he would be a good fit to fill a vacancy in his capital improvements department.

“I’m working on what the exact title will be, and he and I are in beginning stages of working that out,” Cagle said. “He believes we’ll be a good fit for him.”

A lawyer by trade, Morman oversaw 380 employees as Precinct 2 commissioner. A priority for his office was building roads to keep pace with rapid development in the east Harris County precinct, the largest by area. Precinct 4 has a budget of $62 million, $9 million less than Precinct 2.

Cagle said Morman will report to the head of the capital improvements division, and said his specific responsibilities have yet to be determined. Morman earned a $183,000 salary as commissioner.

Morman, who did not respond to a request for comment, said before the election he intended to resume practicing law if he was defeated. Cagle said Morman will be free to moonlight as a lawyer so long as he puts in 40 hours each week for the county.

Garcia said he approached Shaw about working for him because he was impressed with her campaign in Precinct 4. As the two Democratic hopefuls for Commissioners Court, the pair often appeared at forums together. Shaw,an employment, family and business lawyer, campaigned on reforming the county’s criminal justice and mental health systems, said she and Garcia have yet to determine her policy portfolio.

“We don’t have a particular direction yet,” Shaw said. “Flood mitigation, which is huge, is at the top of the list.”

Meanwhile, County Judge-elect Lina Hidalgo has been working full-time on her transition, and has met with several county departments. Hidalgo has hired Joseph Carlos Madden, a policy adviser with Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis, as her chief of staff. She has yet to announce other hires.

Her transition team includes renewable energy businessman Michael Skelly, former State Department diplomat Oni Blair and former Texas Organizing Project executive director Ginny Goldman. Consultant firm HR&A Advisors, whose past clients include New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, also will help Hidalgo in hiring.

Outgoing County Judge Ed Emmett announced last week his acceptance of a non-tenured faculty post at Rice University, his alma mater, where he will teach undergraduates and also join the Kinder Institute for Urban Research.

Zach Despart covers Harris County for the Chronicle, including Commissioners Court and flood control. He came to Houston from the Burlington Free Press in Vermont and was also the managing editor of the Houston Press. In 2017 he won the Best Feature award from the Association of Alternative Newsmedia for his feature on Venezuelan corruption in Houston and Miami. He is a New York native and graduate of the University of Vermont. Follow him on Twitter or email him at zach.despart@chron.com.